The Director-General, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brig.-Gen. Sule Kazaure, has charged youth corps members to embrace the skills acquisition training offered them during their orientation exercise.
Kazaure gave the task on Sunday when he visited the recently sworn in 2016 Batch ‘A’ Youth Corps members at the Dan Yamusa Orientation Camp in Keffi, Nasarawa state.
According to him, the various skills acquisition trainings available at the orientation camps across the country were specifically chosen to equip the youth corps members adequately within the period of their service year and make them self reliant.
Kazaure explained that the programme would equip them with skills that would also make them employers of labour after their service year.
“Skill acquisition is very important. As you are all aware, white collar jobs are no longer available.
“That is why I enjoin you to tap into the skill acquisition training on offer here so you can be self employed and create jobs for others,” he said.
Besides, he advised the corps members to be smart by listening carefully to those who will lecture them on the various skills acquisition in the camp and select a particular one that fits their capabilities so as to specialise in it.
“Be careful and select which of the skills that fit you so that you can perfect yourself. After the service year, you can specialise in it.
“So, I want you to pay attention and learn a particular skill you think you are good in,” Kazaure stressed.
The NYSC boss also appealed to the youth corps members to start learning to be straightforward and sincere in all their lives, saying the earlier they inculcate the habit the easier for them to defend themselves against corrupt tendencies and make Nigeria better.
“Corruption is disturbing this country. If we join hands together collectively, we can defeat it. Even as youth corps members, you should do your best to make sure that this country works by doing away with corruption by all means,” he charged.
Welcoming the director-general earlier, the Nasarawa NYSC State Coordinator, Mrs Habiba Bappah, appreciated Kazaure’s visit which she noted would motivate the youth corps members to stay focussed and achieve the objectives set for them in the camp.
However, she lamented that the NYSC in the state was faced with some challenges in the course of the exercise, praying for more hostel accommodation for both camp officials and corps members and a bigger multi-purpose hall.
“We also need to replace our obsolete Man ‘O’ gadgets, provision of more bore holes to reduce long queues, provision of a new and bigger generator as the 114KVA generator is old and over stretched and additional toilets,” she urged.
She also revealed that a 64KVA generator used in the camp to complement the 114KVA generator had been stolen on March 31, just as police investigations into the matter was ongoing.
But Bappah said that despite the challenges enumerated, activities would commence in earnest on Monday and urged corps members to gear up and be prepared for camp activities. (NAN)